May 8, 2012 9.30 am This story is over 156 months old

Lincoln train drivers hold third day of strikes

Train drivers strike: Delays are expected on East Midlands Trains services for Lincoln as drivers go on third strike over pensions.

Delays are expected on East Midlands Trains services for Lincoln as drivers working for the company go on a third day of strike action over their pension contributions.

Members of the ASLEF union working for East Midlands Trains said they feel that their pension contributions should not be reduced from July.

The drivers also held strikes on May 1 and 3, and further action is planned for May 10, 15 and 17.

Clare McCartney, HR Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “We want to meet now to get this unnecessary dispute resolved.

“This is a strike over nothing. The average driver will lose around £1,200 in pay by following ASLEF’s misguided call for six days of strike action.

“We do not believe it is right to force drivers to pay £500 a year more in pension contributions than independent experts and the scheme’s trustees say is needed.”

Lincoln Branch Secretary Richard Doren said: “We are obviously concerned about the travelling public being disrupted during our industrial action but this is down to East Midlands Trains and not ASLEF.

“Our general secretary Mick Whelan said that the union have tried negotiating and resolving this for the best part of a year,” he added.

The ASLEF picket line at Lincoln Central train station on May 1

Service disruptions

East Midlands Trains Rail is providing this week bus replacement services for local routes including Nottingham to Lincoln and Lincoln to Sleaford.

East Midlands Trains tickets will be accepted on some Stagecoach buses, including Lincoln to Grimsby (Interconnect 3) and Skegness to Lincoln (Interconnect 6).

Other train operators will be accepting East Midlands Trains tickets and a full list of alternative routes can be found at on the website.

Passengers with advance tickets pre-booked for a service which will not be running can use their ticket to travel on an alternative train or bus service provided by East Midlands Trains.

Alternatively, passengers who hold a ticket for travel on one of the affected days can travel on East Midlands Trains services the day before or the day after their existing ticket is valid.

Those who decide not to travel can receive a full refund on their ticket.

A copy of the timetable in place and advice on alternative routes can be found at the East Midlands Trains website.